Trench-digger



A. F. FIGGURES.

TRENCH BIGGER.

Avrucmon FILED MAY21. IBIS.

Patented Jan. 18, 192 1.

3 aHEETS-SHEET 1 oo oo oo oo o Inn afar:

o 00 oo 0o 0 A. F. HGGURES.

TRENCH BIGGER.

APPLICATION mm MAYZI. I919.

1,366,253. Patented Jan. 18,1921.

Irwenfar F Riflll'cd PATENT OFFICE.

ABRAHAM l. FIGGURES, WOMACK HILL, ALABAMA.

TRENCH-DIGGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

Application and Kay 21, 1919. Serial No. #558,175.

To all whom it mlzy concern:

Be it known that I, ABRAHAM F. FIG- onnns, a-citizen of the United States, residing at lvomack Hill, in thecounty of Choctaw and State of Alabama, have invented certfi in new and useful Im rovements in Trench-Diggers; andI do ereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it up ertains to make and use the same.

his invention relates to trench diggers and the primary object of the invention is to provide an improved machine for di;,,-

ging trenches, earth works and the like for mihtar .pu oses.

Anot er 0 ject of the invention is to pro vide a tractor of the caterpillar type carrying a forwardly extending frame having means for digging a. trench and for conveying the earth from the trench being dug to one side of the same, to form a, breast work. A further object of the invention is to provide an improved means for operatively connecting the endless conveyor belts with the tractor so as to use the power thereof for conveying the dirt from the trench being dug as well as motive purposes.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved mechanical trench digger of the above character, which is extremely eflicient and durable in use, one that is simple and easy to manufacture, and one that can be placed uponthe market at a reasonable cost.

\Vith these and other objects inview, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of arts, as will be hereinafter more specifical y described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forminga. part thereof, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved device,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same,-

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same,

Fig. 4 is a detail plan view showing themeans for operatively connecting the convever belts together,

ig. 5 is adetail cross section taken on the line 5-4) of-Fig. 2.

Referring to the wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 1 generally indinotes the improved trench digger which indrawings in detail,

eludes the tractor 2 of steam engine type. The tractor 2 includes the boiler 3, of the ordinary 01' any preferred construction, havmgi the usual smoke stack 4 and fire box 5 and steam dome 6. The engine 7 is mounted upon the boiler and includes the usual cylinder 8, governor 9, piston rod 10, cross head 11, pitman 12 cccentricallv connected to wheel 13 on the power shaft 14, which has connected thereto the usual fly wheel and pulley mechanisms 15 and 1(3. shaft 13 has connected thereto the drive pinion 15' which is connected by the usual train of gears 17, with the bull wheels 18 which have teeth 19 formed on the periphery thereof for engaging the tractor or cnterpib lur belts 20 which extend around the same and the forward wheels 21, which are sccured to the forward end of the boiler. The tractor is provided with the usual throttle levers 22 and other controlling mechanisms. The rear endpf the tractor is provided with the usual cab 23 and fender 24- which may be connected to the tractor if so desired.

A frame 25 extends forwardly from the tractor and includes :1 pair of parallel spaced longitudinal side burs 26. which are bolted or otherwise secured to the boiler 3 of the tractor. The forward ends of side bars 26 are connected by a cross bur 27, which supports the swinging, axle 2,8. which carries the supporting wheels 29. This axle may be connected to suitable steering moans controlled from the cab of the tractor if so de sired. The cross bar 27 supports the downwardly extending plow 3 which has its side edges bent up as at 31 and its forward end pointed as at 32 for facilitating the insertion thereof in the ground and the plowing of the ground.

A pair of shafts 33 and 34 are mounted adjacent the front and rear ends of the frame and extend transversely of the same and have keyed thereto the rollers 35 around which travels the longitudinally extending conveyer belt 36. The belt 36 is provided with a plurality of spaced flights 37 and this belt is adapted to convey the earth from the plow 30 to the rear end of the machine. As clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the conveyer belt 36 ends short of the rear end of the frame and extends above the lateral conveyer belt 38 which extends upwardly from the frame and forms means for conveying the earth from the longitudinal con- The drive i veyer to one side of the trench being dug, so as to form a breast work for the same. One of the longitudinally extending bars 26 supports the upwardly inclined parallel spaced laterally extending bars 39, the-upper ends of which rotatabl support the roller 40, and the opposite side of depending brackets 41, which rotatably support a shaft 42, which has keyed thereto the roller 43. The conveyor belt 38 extends around the rollers 40 and 43and has a plurality of Hi rhts 44 attached thereto. longitudinal y extending side bar 26 adjacent to the laterally extending arms 39 supports a guide roller 47, which engages the upper and lower runs of the belt 38 and divide the same into a horizontally disposed portion which lies directly in rear of and below the longitudinally extending (-ouveyer belt and an upwardly inclined run 48. A drive shaft 49 extends transvm'sely across the frame 25 and is journaled in the longitudinally extending bars 26 directly in front of the rear roller 35 and this shaft has secured thereon a pinion 50, which engages with the pinion 51 .carried by the rear roller. The shaft also carries a pulley 52, around which is trained the drivebelt 1G, extendim from the pulley of the tractor. The shaft 49 carried by the side bals 20, is extended beyond one of the side bars and has keyed thereto the worm 54, which meshes with the worm-gear 55 keyed to the opposite end of the shaft 42. from which the pulley wheel is carried. This fomis effective means for driving the longitudinal and side convevcr belts. i

From the foregoing description it can be seen that an improved mechaniral trrurh digger is provided. which will effectively dig and pile theearth on one side of the bar carries a pairv trench and thus form an effective earthwork for military defense.

In practice, I have found that the form of my invention illustrated in the accompanyin? drawings and referred to in the above scription, as the preferred embodiment, is the most eflicient and practical; yet realizing the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary. I desire to emphasize that various minor changes in details of. construction, proportion and arrangement of parts .may be re sorted to, when required without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention as set forth.

'hat I claim new is:

In combination, a tractor having a power take-otiqa horizontally disposed conrever frame secured to the ,front end of the tractor and extending forwardly thereof .an endless conveyor carried by said frame and terminating short of its rear end, an axle pivoted to the forward end of the frame, steering wheels journaled on said axle. an inclined plow secured to the frame in advanre of the wheels and eonveyer, an upwardly inclined and laterally extending conveyor frame serured to one of the side members of the first frame and adjacent the rear end thereof. a (-onvever carried by the second frame and having its lowermost end disposed under the rear end of the first conveyer. and means driving the eonveyers by the power take-ofl".

in testimony whereof l aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ABRAHAM l. FIGG'URES.

'itnesses: I

H. A. CHAII'ELL, J. F. (nan-ELL. 

